I see an interesting discussion developing here which I think warrants more thought.

A lot of you are talking about branding The Motley Fool with Tom and Dave and doing ads with Tom and Dave talking about The Foolish way. It's sort of tricky because this company has grown because of our dynamic duo at the helm. Their books, TV appearances and genuine interest and care in our customers has made this business what it is. But is it smart for us to only brand them in the center spotlight for the future?

Is it smart to brand a business based solely on personalities? We are The Motley Fool Inc. and Fool.com not TomandDave.com. We are made up of Tom and Dave, all the other TMFs and all of you. We are a company brought together by community and a shared vision. Also, Tom and Dave can only do so much and be in so many places at the same time.

Whereas The Fool, a figurehead and a symbol for education, enrichment and amusement can be branded across the growing corporation without risk.

Ideally, going forward, we rely on the strength of both the brothers and The Fool. Both will and should be branded but there are situations that call for one over the other.

There is an interesting article in yesterday's NY Times (front page of biz section) about Martha Stewart and the challenges of branding a company on personality.

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